Visit to Nico’s will really leave you breathless

NICO, the odious face of smoking, is returning to TV screens as the latest special guest in a mock episode of the hit MTV show Cribs.

The advert is part of the State's anti-smoking campaign aimed at the one-in-five teenagers who smoke.

Cribs is a fly-on-the-wall tour of the homes of pop stars and actors and is hosted by the celebrities themselves. Viewers, mainly teenagers, are introduced to their pets, their kitchens, the food they like to eat, the clothes they love to wear, even their bedrooms.

In the TV advertisement Nico, played by American actor Matt Rippy, appears sophisticated and suave as he shows the TV crew around his luxury home but, really, he is unhealthy, exploitative, addictive and potentially lethal.

"Hi, I'm Nico. Welcome to my crib. I've made a fortune selling my products to everyone. People just keep coming back for more," he says. During the tour of his home we meet Nico's friends girls and boys who are breathless, listless with stained fingers and dull hair.

The first Nico advert was created for the Health Promotion Unit at the Department of Health and Children. It won the Golden and Silver Apple Awards for television and print in London and was the most recalled poster campaign in Ireland for the three years between 2000 and 2003.

Nico, who made his debut in 2000, was created at a time when smoking was more prevalent among young girls than men. Smartly dressed and suave, the repellent figure invited girls to buy his products cigarettes, that would ultimately make them less attractive, just like him.

Health Minister Micheál Martin explained that the new campaign was specifically aimed at image-conscious teenagers. "We know that eight out of 10 adult smokers become addicted in their teens, so it is vital that we continue to address this issue," said Mr Martin.

Young people were concerned about what was happening to them right now and that was why the campaign highlighted the immediate and horrific impact of smoking on skin, hair and teeth. While the Slán Report of 2002 showed a decline in the prevalence of smoking among young people, falling from 21% in 1998 to 19% in 2002, there was no acceptable level of tobacco consumption, said the minister.